Magazine-gun



(No Model.)

H. A. PITCHER.

MAGAZINE GUN.

a ,a aented Feb. 5, 1889.

" section.

UNITEDL, STATES PATENT .OEEIcE.-=

HENRY .A. PITCHER, l,0F NEILLSVILLE, WISCNSIN.

MAGAZINE-GU N.

SPECIFICATION forming'part 0f Letters Patent N o. 397,143, dated February 5, 18849.

Application filed April 21, 1887.

y'vice suitable for attachment to and with the system of a magazine repeating-gun, making' the gun automatic in loading at each discharge.

The form of gun is shown in drawings herewith, together with the attachment'for'which I desire to secure Letters Patent.

It is intended to increa-se therapidity withv which magazine-guns may be loaded and discharged without volition on the partof the shooter, except to pull the trigger, thus increasing the eifectiveness of the arm, both as to number vof shots in a given time as well as accuracy. Thus the gun may remain at the shoulder, the eye in the sights, and a moving object shot at ,while moving a given distance many more times than were the shooter required to work a lever or bolt at each discharge, and thus materially increase the chances of hitting. I accomplish this object of reloading the gun at each discharge by utilizing a portion of the explosive gas generated by combustion in the barrel of the gun in the following manner.

Figure l is a sectional viewof gun closed at the instant after firing. It will be seen that the piston C of attachment, together with its head H Vand spring M, are thrown forward sufficient for the rod G to lock with and against the tumbler P, and through it perform the function of loading. The drawings represent the thickness of side plate of frame removed, the broken line through the front part of the frame showing the barrel, magazine, cylinder, and drive-spring tube in half- The piston C, head H, springs, follower, and cartridges are shaded round.

Fig. 2 shows afhalf-sectional view of workin g parts of gun vand attachment with piston C, head H, and drive-rod G thrown back by spring M to their original position before firing. The piston C, head H, springs, follower, and cart-ridges are shaded round. The differ- Serial No. 235.714. (No model.)

.ent parts of the attachment and gun shown to illustrate the operation of the attachment, I have, for convenience, lettered and named as follows: O, frame of gun; B, barrel of gun; A,f cylinder screwed into frame; C, piston inv position within cylinder A; H, head or flange of piston;- M, drive-spring; D, drive-spring tube; G, drive-rod connecting with head H; P, tumbler, which revolves in segment I, and 6o against which drive-rod G locks; I, segment, which connects with link J, also with the connectingmod 'l,which connects with S, a reciprocating spring -in rear ,the stoCkyY, follower connecting reciprocating spring S and connecting-rod T; U, rear stock in which recoil spring and follower are placed;l Q, outside plate on stock in which cover and finger-knob Work; V, finger-knob; N, cover-slide connected with finger-knob.

Fig. ,3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a yportion of the stock of a gun, showing the spring S, follower Y, cover N, side plate Q, and finger-knob V. v

at the side of and parallel with the barrel, is '5 screwed the cylindrical tube A. It is closed at the breech, andis of suficientthickness to withstand the admitted forcel ,offexplosiom distance vthat the piston C and drive-rod G have to move to perform the first motion in loading-wf. e., it is governed in a measure by the length of cartridge used.

Into the cylinder A, lengthwise, isA fitted a movable rod or piston corresponding in size to the bore of the cylinder, and from the endv nearest where the vent is admitted, to the`l flange or head H, it is somewhat shorter than the bore of the cylinder in which it is placed. 9o At the outer e'nd is a ange or head larger than the outside of the cylinder and smallenough to move freely in i a longitudinal direction within the drive-spring tube D.I It will be obpiston C and its head H are not in a directy line-i. e., their centers do not correspond. I l prefer this way of making it as admitting of more compactness with requisite strength length lto receive the drive-rod G, as would necessarily be the case were the piston C in a Into the frame or receiver of the-gun, and 7 5 and lof suicient'length to correspond to the 8o served by reference to the drawings that the 495 y than if the cylinder were grooved its entire v1cm within the fore und of stock; for heavier,

charges, longer.

The drive-spring M is an ordinary spiralspring of spring-steel of sufficient tensional force and elasticity to overcome, when placed at its extreme tension, the resistance of the `gun mechanism and place thcrecoil spring at sufficient tension so that the rebound may throw the breech action to a closed position- The rcciprocatingspring S isv an ordinary spiral spring placed within atube in the stock, and works against and with the follower Y; and it is connected with the connecting-rod T and through it to the mechanism of .the gun. lts function is to close and lock the breech after the retracting force imparted to it by the spring M is removed.

` connecting-rod T.

In front of and centering within t-he front @Oils of the Spring .S is fnlloyrer, Yislishtlr smaller than the `tube in whichlit. is .plaeved andlattached to which, by a pivot passing horizontally at right angles through it, is thel This rod Thas ashole 'near its each extreme end to admit of attachment to the follower Y at one end and segment I4 I at the other.

It is slightly bent in a vertical direction in the middle, to adlnit'of its work.

- ing freely within the tube R whenlpresseld to the rear to its fullest extent.. 'lhe tube R within the stock is simply a metallic lining for a -hole bored lengthwise rthrough the stock. It has a slot corresponding to thatin the stock in which the tenen on the button or finger-piece may move direction, as required.

On the outside of the stock is screwed and fitted a metal plate of sufficient length and thickness to form a bearing for the fingerknob V and cover N. It has a slot through nearly its entire length, and with a groove in eachv side of the slot, in which is placed a thin piece of, metal sufficiently long to form a cover to the slot in the stock when closed. At one end of this cover is formed a mort-isc. Through the mortise is fitted the neck ortenon of the finger-knob V. A heavy screw passes through the yfinger-knob V yand into the follower `Y, thus .fastening together the follower Y, cover to slot N, and finger-knob V.

- The drive-rod G is simply a fiat rod ate ktached to the head of the piston H. It passes backward outside of the cylinder and inside of the drive-spring tube, passing through-a morti'se in the frame made to receive it and connecting at its rear end, when carried for- V in a longifnulilial I -is forced through a slot 'shown'in drawings, Fig. l.

avai-d 1.o `its fullest extent, with tumblcr-P,-.as

through that. portion of the frame between.A the barrel and cylinder, to and through 'one side of' the barrel ofthe gun, toa point within the bar-rel or bore ofthe gun close to the v front 'end of cartridge-shell when" inr the chamber of thel barrel, so that the'vent shall be free and open. from the interior of the barrel .f rom 'a point corresponding to the f ront end of the chalnberedportion of"`1'1h`cbore"'to thel interior of the cylinder between the breech of thc cylinder and end of the piston.

zFirst, load the gun by grasping the button or knob on the right side .of the stock and press to the rear until the breech-bolt is withdrawn and the carrier tilted. Release the hold and Aallow the spring S vto :force the carv tridge into the barrel and the 'action to a closed and locked position, leaving the hammer at full-cock. 1 Pull the trigger. At the instant of combustion a portion of the gas passes into and through the vent E and into the space in the cylinder at the rear of piston. The

piston C, head Il, and spring M are thrown forward until Athe drive-rodl G, which is carried withthem, may lock against the tumbler I.` ("Seeflignl.) The tension of the spring then reacts' against thelicad' of ypiston ll, it against and with the drive-rod G, it against and with the tumbler P, it against and with the lsegment I, it through the link J to the breech-bolt and other mechanism of the gun, as also to the connecting-rod T, it to and with Afollower against the recoil-springs :in the y,This is the first motion of loading. It will be observed 'that when the tumbler followsthe friction-slide W to thel end it'will IOO les

slide ofi", thus liberating the mechanism from- Ixo position, also presses home the cartridge, leaving the gun cocked for the next discharge re,

qniring again but the one motion-viz., to pulll the trigger-and so on, ad infinitum, as long -as cartridges remain in the magazine.

The

exploded shell in the form of gun here shown frame made for that purpose.

' I am aware that there have been sin-ings placed within the stocks of guns to assist in loading the same, also within a tube parallel in 1he side of the with the barrel, as in magazine-guns, for thesame purpose; also that there have been cylinders, so called, placed upon the side of bar- Irel, for the purpose of igniting the powder within, all of which are essentially dierent from those intimated in the foregoing.

I, however, lay no claim to either of these constructions, or for any other purpose than that of loading the gun automatically after ring. The two springs M andS, acting-conjointlyand alternately upon the working `mechanism of the gunythereby imparting the two necessary motions to load after the explosive force through the cylinder andpis'ton has imparted to them the necessary'power, are the essential features of this system.

' I therefore claim- 1. The combination, with the lock mechanism, of the cylinder' arranged under the barrel and having the vent 'communicating drectly with the bore thereof, the piston in said cylinder in advance of the vent and connected to the lock mechanism, and the spring M, arranged in said cylinder and pressing rearward on the piston.

' 2. In a magazinere-arm having the cylin der arranged under the barrel, and having the vent communi Aating directly with the bore of the barrel, the combination, with 'the lock mechanism, of the piston arrangedin the cylinder" in advance of the vent, the spring in said cylinder pressing rearward on the piston, the longitudinally-movable drive-rod G, attached to the piston and engaging with the p tumbler P, which is pivotally attached tothe segment I, and the link J, connecting the segment with the lock mechanism, substantially as set forth.

3. In a magazine re-arm having the cylinl der communicating with the bore of the bal'- rel, the combination of the piston arranged in the cylinder, the drive-rod attached thereto, the tumbler engaging with said rod, the segment, the lock mechanism, the link connecting the latter to the segm ent, the spring-pressed connecting-rod attached to the segment, and the sp1-in g M, bearing rearward on the piston, substantial-ly as described.

4. In a magazine fire-arm having the cylinder vcommunicating with the bore of the barl rel, the combination of the piston arranged in the cylinder, the spring M, pressing rearward on the piston, the drive-rod attached to the latter, the tumbler engaging with the driverod, the segment, the lock mechanism, the link connecting; the latter to the segment, the follower, the spring S, pressing forward on the latter, and therod connecting the follower to the segment, substantially asfdescribed.

HENRY A. PITCHER.

Witnesses:

CHAs. F. Gnow,

J. A. BARTHOLOMEW. 

